Green Forest, My Home

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Green Forest, My Home (Chinese: 綠光森林; pinyin: Lǜ Guāng Sēn Lín) is a Taiwanese drama miniseries released in 2005. Consisting of a total of 15 episodes, it was broadcast by the SET TV network. It stars Esther Liu, Leon Jay Williams, Ethan Ruan, and Song Zhi Ai. Liu, who is also a professional singer and a member of the band Sweety, is the singer of the opening theme song.

[edit] Plot summary

The series is set around the (fictional) Royal Spencer Academy of Music. Sophie (Esther Liu) is a wealthy girl. Luoshan (Song Zhi Ai) is the daughter of the Sophie's parents' chauffeur. When Luoshan's father dies in an accident while driving drunk, she is adopted by Sophie's family and takes the name Susan instead of Luoshan.

As children, Sophie is best friends with Jing Yuan Fang (Ethan Ruan), who is in love with her. One day, at school, Sophie meets William (Leon Jay Williams), the heir to the Royal Spencer Academy. The two fall in love. However, William (and also Jing, for that matter) has to leave the next day for overseas; before leaving, Sophie and William promise each other that they will come together again.

Years later, the four main characters all return to the Royal Spencer Academy. William wants to find Sophie, but Susan fools William into thinking that the girl he knew was her rather than Sophie. Meanwhile, Sophie fails to recognize both William and Jing, who has now taken the name Owen and become a world-famous violinist.

The central plot of the story is whether Sophie can overcome the people plotting against her happiness, such as her Machiavellian adopted sister Susan, to find true love.

Later in the series, the situation is complicated by Sophie contracting and becoming seriously ill with Pseudomonas.

[edit] Allusions and trivia

William is constantly referred to throughout the series as a prince, an obvious allusion to Prince William of Wales, especially given that William is heir to the Royal Spencer Academy, and Prince William of Wales is the son of Diana Spencer.

The series is unusual in that the main characters often speak English rather than Mandarin Chinese. However, the show has been criticized for the poor English of its actors.

The two lead actors have names similar to the roles they play. Leon Jay Williams plays a character named William, and Ethan Ruan, whose Chinese name is Ruan Jing Tian, plays a character named Jing Yuan Fang.